Crisis of No Mayonnaise, just kidding!

In past years, I had made homemade mayonnaise. It tasted better than store-bought craps. Already tasted "wonderful" Miracle Whip and "Hell-man" before make my own. I can taste little funny in sauce that blend into the salad or others--I realized that its flavors come from these two mayo-craps, it didn't improve good taste in salad. Personally, I don't like to taste something chemical in mayonnaise along with worst soybean oil. I had included my own into chicken salad and noted its flavor that I can taste chicken and tarty mayonnaise blended together along with few ingredients that influenced the effect of mixture.

There are many recipes to make homemade mayonnaise. Mostly are good but I like to add Dijon mustard to mayonnaise for flavor.

Whatever people told me they love their chicken salad and I have to ask what mayonnaise they used. Discovered that they will use either one that they love to have. I don't speak so much about them because I understood how salad tasted depending on how you make it with good seasonings and any ingredients.

I knew there are many ways to make good chicken salad but I don't want to criticize anyone. I don't feel like to be "Gordon Ramsey" today, I feel like to be so nice to anyone.

I had used homemade mayonnaise for crab cakes, nice condiment for sandwiches and other to make dressings. For some reasons I don't eat so much of Miracle whip or hell-man but I do eat them when I have to.

There are some debates among Chefs about which is better taste in homemade mayo or that these two? Majority of debate that they preferred good real mayonnaise recipe from one of good French cookbooks and Professional Chef cookbooks. But few preferred mayonnaise ready from the jar to add to the salad or just spread it on bread for sandwich.

All I can give you the recipes about how to make your own mayonnaise. You can Google up on Mayonnaise and see many recipes. With three recipes I already scaled the recipes down to what you can have at home without wasting any.

Mayonnaise

Recipe source:  On Cooking by Sarah R. Labensky and Alan M. Hause

  4            egg yolks

  1           teaspoon salt

               White pepper -- to taste

  1           teaspoon dry mustard

  3           tablespoons wine vinegar

  28         ounces salad oil

               Lemon juice -- to taste

1. Place the egg yolks in the bowl of a mixer and whip on high speed until frothy.

2. Add the dry ingredients and half the vinegar to the yolks; whisk to combine.

3. Begin to add the oil a drop at a time until the mixture begins to thicken and an emulsion beings to form.

4. Add the remaining oil in a slow steady stream, thinning the mayonnaise occasionally by adding a little vinegar. Continue until all the oil and vinegar have been incorporated.

5. Adjust the seasonings and add lemon juice to taste.

6. Refrigerate until needed.

Yield: 1 quart (1 liter)

Source: "Chapter 24 - Salads and Salad Dressings"

Copyright:  "© 2003 by Prentice-Hall, Inc."

Mayonnaise

Recipe By     : Wayne Gisslen

 4             egg yolks -- preferably pasteurized

 1              tablespoon vinegar

 1              teaspoon salt

 1              teaspoon dry mustard

                Pinch cayenne

 1 5/8     pints salad oil

 2              tablespoons vinegar

 2              tablespoons lemon juice

Place the egg yolks in the bowl of a mixer and beat with the whip attachment until well beaten.

Add 1 tbsp vinegar and beat well.

Mix together the dry ingredients and add to the bowl. Beat until well mixed.

Turn the mixer to high speed. Very slowly, almost drop by drop, begin addking the oil. When the emulsion forms, you can add the oil slightly faster.

When the mayonnaise become thick, thin with a little of the vinegar.

Gradually beat in the remaining oil alternately with the vinegar.

Adjust the tartness and the consistency by beating in a little lemon juice.

Source: "Professional Cooking, 5th edition"

Copyright: "2003 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York."

Yield: "1 quart"

Mayonnaise

Recipe By     :Henri-Paul Pellaprat

2              large egg yolks -- See directions

 ½            teaspoon salt

 ¼            teaspoon paprika

1/16       teaspoon white pepper

               dash cayenne

 2             tablespoons lemon juice

 1             cup olive oil -- see directions

**Or one whole egg**

**Or pure vegetable oil**

Put eggs, salt, paprika, white pepper, and cayenne in a 1-quart bowl. Beat well. Beat in 1 Tbsp of the lemon juice. Gradually beat in oil, 1/2 tsp at a time, until 1/4 cup has been added. Beat in 1 to 2 Tbsp oil at a time, beating well after each addition. Add remaining lemon juice after 1/2 cup oil has been added. Beat in remaining oil. Use for salads, sandwiches, and sauces. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

If mayonnaise curdles when making, beat in another egg yolk and continue as directed above.

Source: "The Great Book of French Cuisine, Revised Edition"

Copyright: "1982 The Vendome Press"

Yield: "1 1/4 cups"

                              

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Re-thinking about testing a recipe.

Image by airship via Flickr

I want to talk about testing a recipe but I understood that the recipe is nothing than just an instruction on how to make a certain food you want to eat. Few days ago I read an article, Why Recipes Are Tested Before Publishing, from the news feed. Watch out, the publishers because someone really burned their churros and sue. I looked up at all recipes I had put on my blog, and I started to wonder if anyone tried one of my recipes or my "pirated" recipes. I had tried some recipes from my blog and reconsidered to revise some, due to the changes in amounts, ingredients and directions.  Well, sometime, I can detect some errors in many recipes from many good magazines and foodies' websites. I realized that we are not that perfect people, we do mess up the recipes and swore it tasted best but it is not. I have to admit that I have some disdains for anyone who think they are best--due to their bad recipe-writings. I remembered one recipe--I am not going to say who wrote--that contained soy sauce to marinate beef before add to stir fry vegetable; its results are very salty. I don't like how soy sauce assaulted my tongue and it blew my taste off all of my senses. Personally, I like teriyaki sauce for marinating beef than that. It affected my decision about reading the recipe and discern some errors or remove some stupid ingredients from my recipe-writings. I wondered if they had tested their recipe. Or, they just crammed their blogs to impress me? Yea, I had seen some good blogs that its authors did made their efforts by trying a recipe and took the pictures of their actions. I personally think it is good to see them putting their energy on their blogs with their own pictures.

 

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Paula Deen and her bad strategies

I might recognize anyone who is diabetic and made good efforts to modify their cooking which will help his or her health. Someone made a dinner the way it should be as in diet for diabetics, I will be very happy to eat and keep a friend on my side. I had eaten many meals like this and I don't mind at all. At home, I have many choices to make good family meal every day. I want to say that I did hid my diabetes from my friends--I have mild diabetes and currently on pill to control blood sugar. So, now you know me.

In past, I don’t care so much about any celebrities or that chef Paula Deen. Occasionally, I watched her shows and enjoyed to watch how she do with her Southern cooking. Until she announced that she had Type 2 Diabete, she  don’t have much respects from me since I found out that she have became a paid spokeswoman for drugmaker Novo Nordisk.  Either way, she should shut up or announce her diabetic issues but too late, she would have big opportunity for her Food TV network and she would have good impact to her loyal fans with new modification of cooking she can do it to inspire. I wish she announce her diabetes three years ago, and she might get more loyal fans. Right now I am saying, that she have bad ambition in planning her future along with her buttery rich food and that sugary lemonade (that one I watched her making her lemonade--water, lemon juice and sugar).

I better leave the related articles to you for your own personal conclusions. I already have some unfavorable opinions because Paula Deen blew out her chances to make an impact on everyone. I guess I have to wait for more news from my Blogger friends who want to RIP her--you know.

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• The Perils of Paula Deen (seanphilpott.wordpress.com)
• Anthony Bourdain: "The Worst, Most Dangerous Person To America is Paula Deen" (friendseat.com)
• Chef Paula Deen hid diabetes, pushed high-fat food (sfgate.com)
• Paula Deen Says She Has Type 2 Diabetes (nytimes.com)
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Have you eaten Llama meat? If so, you are <bleep> sick!

A reason I write a title for this blog because I had encountered some cute llama—not that meat, just four legs and long neck cute creatures. I found myself admiring their cuteness and, even, petting their heads. Already fed them. Had to wash my hands from their lickings on my palms.
Until a day, my wife come home excited, with a white package of llama ground meat. She sickened me with her shouting: let try this for meatballs, let try this for hamburgers….I knew how I felt about how much I like Llama creatures. I tried to avoid from cooking them but she nearly strangulated me with Cheese and Mac with “I don’t know what it is”—she told me--meat. That defiled my conscience by eating my dinner. Yea, I am guilty by eating what I love. Tell you a truth, it tasted not bad. Don’t tell my llama friends.
Thinking about petting your friend at State Fair. You might find one who follow you for petting or treats.
If you already eaten Llama, please don’t talk with me about it. I don’t need Llama Anonymous group. I don’t want to admit that I am Llama eater, I want to admit that I am Llama admirer, period.

Homemade Chai Tea

Image via WikipediaGot tired of some chai tea that I bought from store or local coffeehouse and I found it too sweet or bitterness in back of my tongue. I spent some times on Google for Chai Tea. I had found some recipes and was little disappointed with the results. Made a decision to make my own tea recipe to make my tongue so happy. I do care about good flavors in tea instead of some stupid funny flavors in tea—I already tried some BAD tea and never buy it again. I don’t want to give you the brand names or someone will run after my wallet for saying something awful. Don’t like it, don’t buy it.
Few months ago, I tried to get a recipe from a lady, African Chef—she refused and told me to find a recipe to make a good chai tea. She told me that it is very easy that I can learn by taste.  I am glad that she told me.
I went on my a quest for good chai tea recipe—it took so long time to find right one but I did it on my own and plainly satisfied with how it taste. No secrets in a recipe. I have to endure my steamy tribulations, and my difficult trails down the steeply cliffs—no,no, I meant trials of tasting. Later I found out that I really emptied all herbs and spices out of cabinet—very happy to take a grocery trip.
Yesterday, I made Chai tea by using my brain to dump good spices in hot water—bring it to boil and steep it for fifteen before I added black tea bags to it, bring it to boil and steep it for while. Viola! it is better than I have nuked that, that, that concentrated tea before added cupful of milk.
Very nice flavors. I love anything Homemade because I felt encouraged to try some new recipes and tweaked it to “perfect” flavors. If you know how to make, don’t ask your spouse to—oh heaven, you never know….
There are many recipes to make homemade chai tea but I think it is best for me to leave you good information due to some inconsistencies in the flavor as some amateurs claimed it is best chai tea. No matter what they said, I recommend you to make your own recipe and enjoy it. I don’t want to put my recipe that you might not like how it tasted. I preferred you to make your own better than mine.

“There is no end to the diversity of recipes for making your own chai. Chai recipes are like Italian minestrone soup - its always good but everyone's recipe is different.” (Quoted from Chai!, good information on traditional chai tea.)

Ok, before I start to bore you down to death, I give you some good links for simple recipes. Other than these three links, Google….you know. Remember, you can make your own delicious tea, might be the best chai tea you ever made than anyone.
Chai Tea recipe from Betty Crocker
Amazing Chai Tea from Tasty Kitchen
Easy Chai Tea from Real Simple
Take your adventure in making your best Chai Tea.
Powered by Chai Tea.

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